So I suppose the campaign leading to the polls on 6th November 2012 can be officially declared open....
Barack Obama has confirmed his intention to run for a second term today ....
Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign.
We're doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you -- with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.
So even though I'm focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.
We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
Barack.
This post has been edited by KernowKid: Jan 20 2013, 18:45
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In order to understand American politics in the current era one needs to step back and see the big picture. That's hard for anyone to do because the forces at play are very large.
My take on the situation is this: Elections in the US, and particularly the presidential election and congressional elections, are a grab for power by two major opposing forces. One force represents the interests of the public at large. The party that best embodies those interests, albeit imperfectly, is the Democratic party. The other force is that of the oligarchs, very wealthy, powerful and few. They find their representation in government with the Republican party. Over the last 30 years the oligarchs have been gaining more and more ground at the expense of the welfare of the general public.
The confluence of these forces was best seen recently in the battle for extension of the Bush tax cuts. That battle pitted tax breaks for the 2% wealthiest individuals in America (supported by the Republicans and opposed by the Democrats) against extending unemployment benefits for the longterm unemployed (supported by the Democrats and opposed by the Republicans). The contrast was glaring and the Republicans had no shame. They didn't have to, they're on a roll and winning.
An odd phenomenon has been that in the two years that Obama has been president he has drifted more and more to looking like a Republican. My speculation is that somebody has somebody by the balls. That was my speculation during the Bush presidency when Democrats were voting yes on some of the most heinous legislation put forth by the Republicans. And now, less than two years before the next presidential election, Obama is playing it safe and taking no risks. The man guy has no balls.
We don't know yet how the Republican primaries are going to shake out, but so far the Republican field just looks like a bunch of loopy clowns save maybe for Mitt Romney. I don't like him very much, but dishonest as he is, he is the only one so far who is this side of sanity. His major weakness is Romneycare on which Obamacare was modeled.
If anything the upcoming presidential race will be entertaining, we'll either be laughing or crying .
The United States is a very weird place (and very powerful).
This post has been edited by ParsifalNYC: Apr 4 2011, 14:55
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QUOTE(ParsifalNYC @ Apr 4 2011, 15:52)
One force represents the interests of the public at large. The party that best embodies those interests, albeit imperfectly, is the Democratic party. The other force is that of the oligarchs, very wealthy, powerful and few. They find their representation in government with the Republican party. Over the last 30 years the oligarchs have been gaining more and more ground at the expense of the welfare of the general public.
Lol democrats representing people's best interests! Typical New Yorker
The truth is neither cares about you. They're both basically the same.
Reps buy votes by giving people tax breaks, Dems buy votes by promising benefits, healthcare, higher minimum wage and free everything. Both have crony deals with large banks/military companies/oil companies. The gov't works for them. (When big corporations combine with autocratic government thats fascism. Thats what you have)
QUOTE(ParsifalNYC @ Apr 4 2011, 15:52)
If anything the upcoming presidential race will be entertaining, we'll either be laughing or crying .
Unfortunately, you'll be crying both ways. You're broke, and none of the politicians want to do anything about it. The rest of the world will suffer too.
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QUOTE(jazze @ Apr 4 2011, 11:07)
QUOTE(ParsifalNYC @ Apr 4 2011, 15:52)
One force represents the interests of the public at large. The party that best embodies those interests, albeit imperfectly, is the Democratic party. The other force is that of the oligarchs, very wealthy, powerful and few. They find their representation in government with the Republican party. Over the last 30 years the oligarchs have been gaining more and more ground at the expense of the welfare of the general public.
Lol democrats representing people's best interests! Typical New Yorker
The truth is neither cares about you. They're both basically the same.
Reps buy votes by giving people tax breaks, Dems buy votes by promising benefits, healthcare, higher minimum wage and free everything. Both have crony deals with large banks/military companies/oil companies. The gov't works for them. (When big corporations combine with autocratic government thats fascism. Thats what you have)
No contest.
I did say:
QUOTE(ParsifalNYC @ Apr 4 2011, 10:52)
My take on the situation is this: Elections in the US, and particularly the presidential election and congressional elections, are a grab for power by two major opposing forces.
And I did say that the Democrats embody those interests "imperfectly". Motives are another matter. Regardless of how much (or how little) the Democrats care about the public at large they did give us Social Security (which the Republicans have been trying to kill since its inception in 1935), Medicare (which the Republicans have been trying to kill since its inception in 1965), regulation against corporate abuses, environmental protection, etc.
As much as the Democrats are bad guys too we can thank them for raising the standard of living of the average American beginning with the New Deal.
And I believe that I've said in these forums that I consider politicians (Democrat or Republican) to be the bottom of the barrel, lower than prostitutes. (I don't hold prostitutes in low regard, quite the contrary, but just want to place politicians in their relative place because they are prostitutes. At least the ladies of the night are honest about it.)
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QUOTE(jazze @ Apr 4 2011, 18:59)
Why do you want your gov't to steal money from one group of people to pay to "look after you"?
You could say that the "European-style socialist welfare state" (as the Republicans like to call it) compensates the disadvantaged for injustices in the system.
QUOTE(jazze @ Apr 4 2011, 18:59)
You can't name 1 good thing that government runs really well. You can't even say military/defense anymore.
Of course not. They're all incompetent and corrupt. But the "socialist" state that the Democrats have built starting in the FDR era has substantially reduced the amount of poverty in this country, particularly among the elderly. The Republicans (and their benefactors) would love to roll the clock back to pre-New Deal when old age meant certain dire poverty for most. Back then you couldn't afford to retire, a phenomenon that is now creeping back into American life.
QUOTE(jazze @ Apr 4 2011, 18:59)
Why would you want them running your economy and your life.
To protect you from the oligarchs pushing the country toward a feudal-like society.
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QUOTE(ic1male @ Apr 5 2011, 03:59)
Mitt Romney?
Haven't heard much from him, he's been keeping a low profile, however.....
Theocrat, anti-gay staunch Mormon, Western White House will probably be the temple in Utah where he will be told how to run the country by his elders...
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QUOTE(Kev @ Apr 5 2011, 20:04)
QUOTE
Ron Paul is your only hope.
Ron Paul is an ass.
Great argument. I think you're just an ignorant biggot and know nothing about him. (Or if you do, you're someone who freeloads off the government and fears losing those benefits.)
Paul is impeccably principled. He has a consistant voting track record and has over 30 years never sold out. He defends the constitution and the rights of the people.
If standing for liberty and justice makes someone an ass, then I'm an ass too.
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Remember where you came from. Your ancestors fled tyrannical british empire or fought hard for emancipation, freedom from slavery and equality infront of the law.
What you're doing now is handing all your freedoms to a banking cartel controlled fascist tyranny.
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The US Presidential Election 2012, we're off ... we debated ... and it's finally over.
Apr 4 2011, 10:23
or crying 
.
